Mechanism for handling elongated material



Nov. 27, 1956 N. J. RANNEY v MECHANISM FOR HANDLING ELONGATED MATERIAL 2Sheets-Sheet 1 Original Filed June 3, 1950 Nav. 27, 1956 N. J. RANNEYMECHANISM FOR HANDLING ELONGATED MATERIAL 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 OriginalFiled June 3, 1950 iNVE NTO R We/VJ flan 76y United States PatentMECHANISM FOR HANDLING ELONGATED MATERIAL Neil J. Ranney, MentorTownship, Lake County, Ohio, assignor to Wean Equipment Corporation,Euclid, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application May 16, 1951, Serial No.226,702

3 Claims. (Cl. 20312) This invention relates to mechanism for handlingelongated material and comprises a number of features of improvement insuch mechanism. This application is a division of my copendingapplication Serial No. 166,034, filed June 3, 1950.

I have embodied the invention in apparatus for handling wire fencing.While my invention in its broader aspects is otherwise variouslyapplicable, for purposes of explanation and illustration I shalldescribe the invention as embodied in a machine for handling wirefencing.

The strands of wire which are used for making the wire fencing are takenfrom coils of wire which may be disposed on spools or swifts as desired.I show the wire strands being delivered from swifts from which therespective wires extend upwardly and over guide pulleys and thence tothe fence machine.

In the fence machine the line wires advance through the machine insubstanial parallelism and the stay wires are fed from the side so thatthey in effect lie across the advancing line wires. In the machine shownthe line wires are oriented substantially vertically while the staywires are being applied thereto, the line wires advancing upwardlybetween dwells. The fencing produced by the fence machine is ultimatelycoiled in coils of predetermined length.

I provide for uninterrupted operation of the fence machine despite thenecessity of stopping the feed of the wire fencing at the coiler when itis necessary to discharge a completed coil by interposing between thefence machine proper and the coiler a looper which during the time whenthe coiler is not coiling up fencing loops the fencing or takes up theslack therein. The looper is provided with novel control means renderingits operation entirely automatic. In the form shown the looper comprisesan upper and a lower set of rollers about which the fencing is looped,the lower rollers being mounted for rotation about stationary axes whilethe upper rollers are mounted for rotation in a support which may moveupwardly and downwardly toward and away from the lower rollers but whichis counterweighed so that its normal tendency is to move upwardly. Whenthe coiler is not coiling up fencing but the fence machine proper isdelivering fencing the upper rollers of the looper move upwardly underaction of the counterweight to take up the delivered fencing. When thecoiler again begins to operate the upper rollers of the looper movedownwardly so that the looper in effect pays out fence which it hasstored up during the period of inoperativeness of the coiler.

The counterweight of the looper is connected with the support for theupper rollers by one or more flexible connecting elements such ascables. I prefer to employ two such cables and to urn each cable two orthree times about a drum at the top of the looper. The two drumsone foreach cablemay be mounted on a common shaft, which shaft is normally freeto rotate in either direction during operation of the apparatus.However, it is necessary to control the movement of the upper rollers ofthe looper at various times including when fencing is to be threadedthrough the looper at the commencement, of operation of the apparatus.To this end I provide a motor which may be connected with the drumshaft, as, for example, by a magnetic clutch, and which may turn thedrum shaft in either direction and thereby raise or lower the upperrollers as may be desired in threading. I also provide a solenoid braketo hold the drum shaft against turning when desired. The solenoid brakemay be rendered operative to hold the dnmi shaft against turning duringthreading; and I also preferably provide means to render operative thesolenoid brake when there is no tension on the fencing. I may providecontrol devices normally engaging the fencing at the entrance and exitends of the looper together with means operated by either of thosedevices to render the solenoid brake opera ative if the fencing losesnormal tension while in the looper or tends to move in the backwarddirection.

I provide means for stopping the operation of the fence machine properwhile permitting continued operation of the coiler in the event that thelooper becomes filled to its capacity with fencing. I also provide meansfor stopping operation of the coiler while permitting continuedoperation of the fence machine proper in the event that the upperrollers of the looper reach the bottom of their permitted path ofvertical travel. I provide means which may conveniently take the formsof a dancer roll rheostat operating in the coiler motor generator fieldmounted adjacent the looper to slow down the coiler motor when the loopstorage capacity of the looper is almost depleted. The rheostat may beoperated by a member carried by the support for the upper rollers of thelooper as that support nears the bottom of its travel.

When the coiler is in operation the power for moving the fencing throughthe apparatus is derived from the coiler which pulls the fencing fromthe crimping drum through the looper and coils it up.

I have not attempted to detail all of the novel features of my inventionin the above summary but simply to draw attention to particular featuresand outline the advantages thereof. Other details, objects andadvantages of the invention will become apparent as the followingdescription of a present preferred embodiment thereof proceeds.

In the accompanying drawings I have shown a present preferred form ofapparatus embodying my invention, in which:

Figure 1 is a somewhat diagrammatic elevational view of mechanism forhandling elongated material; and

Figure 2 is an enlarged elevational view of. the looper forming part ofthe mechanism for handling elongated material as viewed from the sideopposite the side from which it is viewed in Figure 1.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, there are providedseven wire payoif swifts 2 about which coils of wire are disposed andfrom which the wire is drawn for the fabrication of wire fencing.Disposed generally above the swifts is a superstructure 3 which carriespulleys 4 over which wire from the swifts is drawn as it passes to thefence machine. The line wires pass from pulleys 4 over pulleys 5 andthence downwardly and beneath pulleys 6. From the pulleys 6 the linewires pass beneath pulleys 7 whence they move vertically upwardly inside-by-side relation in a common vertical plane transverse of theapparatus to the crimping drum.

The stay wires pass beneath pulleys 16 and thence over pulleys l7 whencethey pass into the fence machine and are applied to the line wires tomake fencing.

The fence machine delivers fencing which passes around the crimping drum121 and thence to the looper. The looper is designated generally byreference numeral 251. It comprises a frame 252 having a base portionall the rollers 25 i; and a 7 n th r d re ti n va e rsib e mo .5 h ha t25 is conne ted: t he o o 2 7 through j a c r whose shaft is connectedwith the motor shaft by a magnetic clutch. A magnetic brake is connectedwith the 7 gear reducer shaft and is adapted to maintain that shaft andthe shaft 2561against rotation when desired. 7

Keyed to the shaft 256' are two cable drums 263 and V 264. 'Carried bythe frame 252 is a vertical guid'eway 265 in which ride Wheels 265 of avertically movable support designated generally byreference numeral 267on which coiler since the looper has been depleted of fencing and thecoiler cannot coil 'up' fencing any faster than it is supplied byv thefence machine. When the coiler is stopped by operation of the limitswitch.274 the fence machine continues to operate.

Mounted .upon a support 275 adjacent the'looper' is a dancer rollrheostat 276 having an arm 277 having a slot 2 78 in, its end. Thesupport 267 carries. a bracket 279 having a pin 28f?v projecting.therefrom. The arm 277 is positioned as shownin Eiguresl. and 8 when thesupport 267 is above it in the looper. As thefsupport 7 moves downwardlythe pin 280 entersthe slot 278 and are. jpurnal'ed' for rotation fourrollers 263. The axes of l the rollers 263 are parallel and. therollers268' are disposed so that when the support 267 is lowered to thebottom of the frame 252 the rollers 26% lie intermediate the rollers 254as indicated at the bottom of each ofiFigures t and .2. Connected withthe support 267, are two cables 269 which extend upwardly from thesupport 267 and are turned two or three times 7 about the respectivedrums 26 3 and 2 64 and then ex- 7 gradually drawn downwardly.

The purpose of the looper, as explained above, is to 7 enable continuousoperation of the fence machine proper despite intermittent operation ofthe coiler due to the necessity of stoppingthe coiler periodically todischarge a coil off fencingj. While the coiler is stopped'the fencemachine proper continues'to operate and feed fencing to the looper; thatfencing is taken up by the looper by upward movement of the support267'. When the coiler is again put into operation it normally drawsfencing from the looper somewhat faster than the fencing is fed to thelooper from the crimping drum with the result that the support 267 movesdownwardly.

The'motor 257 is for turning the shaft 256 in either direction asdesired for moving the support 267 up or down, as, for example, when thelooper is to be threaded.

The support may be maintained in any desired position by the brake 262.

A safety switch. 271 is disposed in engagement with the fencing as itpasses from the crimping drum to the looper. So long as the fencingremains taut between the crimping drum and the looper the safety switch271 has no effect. When, however, the fencing becomes loose "between thecrimping drum and looper the safety switch 271 is allowed to operate byspring means within the switch casing to stop the apparatus and to applythe brake 262 to hold the shaft 256 against turning and hence, to holdthe support 267 against upward or downward movement. When the fencing isagain made taut between the crimping drum and the looper the switch 271is operated against the action of the spring means therein to releasethe brake 2'62 and'permit' the apparatus to again be put into operation.l

The support 267 carries a shoe 272- which' when the support reaches thetop of the frame 252 operates a limit switc 273 and which when thesupport reaches the bottom of the frame 252 operates a limit switch 27%.Operation'ot the'liniitswitch 273 by the shoe 2'72 stops operation ofthe fence machine but does not stop operation of the coiler. Obviouslywhen the looper is filled to its capacity it can no longer store upadditional fencing and turns the arm 277 in the clockwise directionviewing Figure. 8 to operate. the'danc'er roll rheostat to'decrease thevoltage across. the coiler motor generator field and thereby slow downthecoiler'motor which derives its 1 current from the generator. As thearm 277 turns in the clockwise direction viewing Figure 2 the voltageacross the coiler motor generator field is gradually decreased so thatthe coiler motor slows down progressively. The pinch roll unit shown inFigure l 'advances the fencing to the coiler 430 after a length ofcoiled fencing has been sheared from the uncoiled fencing beingdelivered through the looper.

The pinch roll unit comprises a lower roll 281' and an upper roll 282.The rolls are cylindrical and mounted with their axes parallel onedirectly above the other. Each roll has a heavy rubber covering topromote traction on the fencing while avoiding damage to the fencing;

The heavy rubber coverings ofthe rolls 2'81 and 282 also yield to permitpassage of the twists orfso-called buttons of'the fencing which have athickness perpendicular to the plane of the fencing of some three timesthe diameterof the wire. The pinch rolls deliver the fencing tothecoiler which coils it into coils of predetermined length as abovestated. 7 l f V x V While the coiler is operating to coil up fencing itfor. a time draws fencing from the looper faster than fenc'ing isdelivered to the looper by the fence machine proper; indeed, as thediameter of the coil of fencing increases the speed at which the fencingis drawn forward from the looper increases. As above described, as thequantity of fencing in the looper decreases and the support 267 nearsthe bottom of the looper the dancer roll rheostat 276 is claimed in mysaid parent application Serial No; 166,034,

l n 1950, and. i my opend pp c t n Serial No. 226,701, filed May 16,1,which is adivision of my said parent application. 7

While I have shown and describedra present preferred embodiment oftheinvention it is to be distinctly under,- stood that the invention isnot'limited thereto but may be otherwise variously embodied andpracticed within the scope of the following claims. i

I claim: V

1. Mechanism for handling elongated material com; prising an operatingstation, means pulling elongated materialfrom the operating station,take-up means: between theoperating station and the pulling means, thetake-up means including portions normally biased to move relatively awayfrom each other for engaging and taking up slack in the material, one oftheportions of the take-up means having mounted thereon a proiectingcontact member,.a device positioned'to be'engaged by. said projecti gcontact member upon relative approach of said. portions toward'eachother and only when said portions'are al-I.

mo n he closest o t er rela onsh p. me n p nections between said deviceand the pulling means progressively slowing up the pulling means uponprogressive operation of said device by said projecting contact member.

2. Mechanism for handling elongated material comprising an operatingstation, means pulling elongated material from the operating station,take-up means between the operating station and the pulling means, thetake-up means including portions normally biased to move relatively awayfrom each other for engaging and taking up slack in the material, one ofthe portions of the take-up means having mounted thereon a projectingcontact memher, a pivotally mounted member positioned to be engaged bysaid projecting contact member upon relative approach of said portionstoward each other and only when said portions are almost in theirclosest together relationship and to be turned about its pivot duringcontinued relative approach of said portions toward each other andconnections between the pivotally mounted member and the pulling meansprogressively slowing up the pulling means upon progressive turning ofthe pivotally mounted member by said projecting contact member.

3. Mechanism for handling elongated material comprising an operatingstation, means pulling elongated material from the operating station,means including an electric motor for driving the pulling means, take-upmeans between the operating station and the pulling means, the take-upmeans including portions normally biased to move relatively away fromeach other for engaging and taking up slack in the material, one of theportions of the take-up means having thereon a projecting contactmember, a pivotally mounted member positioned to be engaged by saidprojecting contact member upon relative approach of said portions towardeach other and only when said portions are almost in their closesttogether relationship and to be turned about its pivot during continuedrelative approach of said portions toward each other, a rheostatoperated by said pivotally mounted member upon such turning movementthereof about its pivot and electrical connections between the 6rheostat and the motor progressively slowing up the motorupon'progressive operation of the rheostat.

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